The Perfect Blend (9 page)

A quick glance in her rearview mirror told her they were following right behind. Her anger dissipated somewhat as uneasiness took its place. Who the hell were they and what did they want with her? Doing her best to ignore them, she turned onto Salvation Avenue…and got the shock of her life. Her parking lot was filled with a construction team!

No. Matt wouldn’t have made such a monumental decision without consulting her, and she’d already made it clear she needed to think on it. But as she approached her shop there was no denying what her lying eyes were seeing. The west friggin’ wall was missing!

Carrie squealed to a stop in front of the shop, bound from her car, and stormed to the front door. She nearly had a coronary when she read the sign taped to the glass: Closed One Week For Remodeling. Her blood pressure spiked. That sneaky rat bastard, she was going to kill him! Did he honestly think he could make such a huge decision without her? Well, of course he did—he had.

But wait, she’d only given him the key Friday night. How could he have had a crew here that fast? Could he have met with them on Saturday when he was in Green Bay with his sister? Or maybe they hadn’t gone to Green Bay at all. Cursing, she yanked open the door and stormed inside. Matt stood talking to one of the workers, and Lindy sat on the counter sipping from a
Coffee To Chai For
cup. Carrie stalked toward Matt, yanking Lindy off the counter as she passed.

“Hey, what the hell! You made me spill my cappuccino!”

Carrie didn’t so much as spare her a glance. When she reached Matt’s side—who still hadn’t noticed her thanks to the noisy machinery—she grabbed his arm. “I need to speak with you. Now.”

Matt spoke a few words to the guy, thumped him on the back, and then turned to face her. He frowned, as if he had no clue what her problem was. “You don’t look as well-rested as I’d imagined. Which isn’t helping my ego right now.” He winked, then glanced around them. “I guess it’s a little late to yell ‘surprise.’”

Carrie stiff-armed him and took a step back. “Don’t you dare touch me. You knew I wasn’t ready for this, so you waited until I was weak and vulnerable—you slept with me—and then did whatever the hell you wanted. And I played right into your hands when I gave you that key!”

He propped his hands on his hips and frowned. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little? I mean, yeah, maybe I should’ve gotten your okay before having them start the job, but sweetheart, I’m doing this for you. I want this place to become the hottest lunch spot in Redemption so you never have to worry about money again.”

Carrie gazed up at him, her anger slowly dissipating even though she tried to hang onto it for dear life. Without it, she was putty in his hands, and she swore a long time ago she’d never give another man that kind of power over her.

Matt reached out again, and this time she let him take her in his arms. “Look, I know I deserve your anger, but I swear, by the time this place is done, you’re going to love it. The drive-thru alone is going to double your business, and with a larger dining room you’ll be able to accommodate a pretty decent lunch and early supper crowd.”

He was right and she knew it. Change was always scary, but since the change was already in motion, somehow it seemed a little less daunting. “I don’t want Lindy’s ass on my counter,” she mumbled against his chest.

Matt laughed. “Sweetheart, there’s not another woman in the world like you.”

Carrie headed behind the counter and made herself a cappuccino with a double shot of espresso. Lindy had parked herself back on the counter, and as Carrie and Matt strode past, Matt picked his sister up and settled her on a chair. Carrie laughed as they walked outside into the morning sunshine, Lindy on their heels.

“What’s your problem, both of you? I was simply minding my own business, watching the guys work. Not much else to do here in Mayberry.”

Before Matt or Carrie could respond, a couple of car doors slammed, and she looked up to see those same two men rushing toward them brandishing cameras. Carrie blinked in surprise. Reporters coming to do a piece about the coffee shop? Already? But why had they been parked in front of her house?

Lindy grasped Carrie’s arm and tried to pull her back into the shop while Matt hurried forward and met the reporters in the street.

“Let go,” Carrie snapped, yanking free of Lindy’s hold. “What the hell are you doing? Do you know those guys?”

“I know their type,” Lindy muttered. “Believe me, for your own sake, get inside your shop and lock the door.”

A bad feeling mushroomed in Carrie’s gut. She stood and watched as the reporters skirted past Matt and beelined straight for her. Matt grabbed one of them by the arm and yanked him around. “I’m warning you, get back in your car and get the hell outta here!”

Spalding?

“You’re a leech who makes his living off other people’s misery.” Matt pulled some cash from his pocket and threw it on the ground. “Now get the hell out of my sight.”

The second reporter continued to snap pictures. Matt started toward him, but he dashed around, keeping out of Matt’s reach. “Ms. Lowell, are you aware that you’re dating one of the richest men in the country?”

Chapter Eight

Carrie’s gaze went from the reporter, to Matt and Lindy—who both sported a deer-in-the-headlights looks—then back to the reporter. “Someone want to tell me what’s going on?”

Matt took a step toward her, his expression grave, scaring the hell out of her. “Carrie, can we just head to your place and talk? I think—”

The reporter snapped some more pictures. “This is Jacob Spalding Jr., heir to Spalding Industries, the largest family-owned company in the U.S. He was also the main suspect in the Amanda Ames murder case.”

Carrie’s heart hammered in her chest. Matt was the guy who’d been wrongly accused of killing Amanda Ames? Carrie remembered hearing on the news how Amanda’s supposed lover had been the main suspect, but she couldn’t have picked Jacob Spalding out of a lineup if her life depended on it.

“And I was proven innocent. Now grab your friend and get your sorry asses out of my sight before you both need to be hauled away in an ambulance.”

The reporter with the smashed camera climbed to his feet and raced back to the car, the second reporter hot on his heels. Once they were safely inside, Smashed Camera guy shouted, “Your days of hiding are over, Spalding. By tonight, everyone will know you’ve moved on to small-town women. Ms. Lowell, I’d sleep with the light on if I were you.”

Matt cursed and gave chase, but the car sped off down the road. He kicked angrily at a rock, cursed again, then turned to face her.

Carrie’s heart sunk to the bottom of her stomach. Matt was actually some rich guy named Jacob Spalding...and had been suspected of murder? She stared at him, silently begging him to assure her none of it was true. This was Matt, her Matt, not some rich business type who...who could pay a construction company enough money to start work on a job in two days’ time. Who could afford to buy into a business on a librarian’s salary, with no home to put up as collateral when he’d been in town less than a year.

“Carrie, listen to me,” he said, beseeching her with his eyes. “I would’ve told you everything, I planned to soon, but then Lindy showed up and I...I panicked.”

“Matt...or should I call you Jacob?” Carrie could hear the bitterness in her own voice. He’d been lying since the moment he’d arrived in town. He’d changed his name, probably changed his appearance, all so he could...what? He could dupe her into bed? It seemed farfetched even to her, but what else could someone that rich and famous want with a “Mayberry” local like her?

“My name is Jacob Matthew Spalding, and I’ve been called Matt since the day I was born.”

“Is that your real hair color? Your real eye color? I mean, how could you have lived in this town all these months without someone recognizing you?”

“Please don’t build this up into something bigger than it is. Yes, I lied about my name, but I had good reason. I’d been accused of the most heinous crime imaginable, my family had been under the public’s scrutiny for months thanks to me, stocks had gone down, the paparazzi hounded me nonstop. I mean, it was bad enough having them follow me around to clubs and such, but they were suddenly everywhere, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to get out of L.A. before I lost my damn mind. Hell, I’d submitted to DNA testing, I was cleared of all charges, and the bloodhounds
still
wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“How can I believe anything you say? I have no idea who you even are.”

“I’m the same man you’ve known all this time. The same man who’s crazy about you, who would do anything for you. Carrie, the last couple weeks, getting to know you—last night—has been the happiest time of my life.”

Gazing into those amazing brown eyes, Carrie could easily believe anything he said. Matt was as charming a man as she’d ever known…yet lies fell from his mouth with an ease that startled her. And she’d sold half of her precious business to him. My God, what had she done? She was a complete and utter idiot.

“I should’ve known,” she said, more to herself than him. “You’d think I’d have radar after what I went through with Rob. Jesus, you must’ve had yourself a big ol’ laugh when you left my bed last night. You duped the poor little ‘Mayberry’ girl”— she made air quotes—“out of half her business. Pretty soon you would have figured out a way to get me to sign over my half. Heck, you probably own half the town by now, don’t you?”

He took a step forward. “That’s ridiculous and you know it. Now that you know who I am and my family’s resources, you must realize your little coffee shop is—”

“Is what? Not worth your time? Good, then sign it back to me and get the hell out of my life. In fact, get the hell out of Redemption.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes grew dark, angry. “I’m not going anywhere, and whether you like it or not,
Coffee To Chai For
is half mine.”

Bastard
. “There you go, showing your real colors. But you forget, my sister and both my parents are lawyers. I’m sure together they can find a loophole to get me out of our contract.”

He closed the distance between them until they were practically nose to nose. She wanted him to kiss her so bad she feared her knees might give out, and she hated herself for the weakness. “And you forget I have the means to keep this in court for a very long time.”

Tears burned her eyes. How could she have ever thought this man was decent and kind? “I hate you. You’re a despicable excuse for a human being.” She gave his chest a jabbing shove, but all the big bully did was grab her by the shoulders.

“You don’t mean that. You’re just angry—”

“Oh, yes, I do mean it. I’m through. We’re through. If my family can’t get me out of our contract, you can buy me out. Either way, I never want to see you again. Now let go of me unless you want to add batterer to your list as well.”

That seemed to have the desired effect. He released her and stepped back, looking around uncomfortably as if he didn’t quite know what to do. Obviously, Mr. Jacob Spalding wasn’t used to being put in his place. She gave him one last scathing look, then turned and walked away.

“I’m in love with you, Carrie.”

She stopped dead in her tracks and whirled around. Her chest ached as if it would explode. “So, when threats and intimidation don’t work, you try the love card? What did you think I’d do, burst into tears and run into your open arms? Not in this lifetime. And just so you know, for the next sucker who falls for your nerdy librarian act, it would’ve worked better the other way around. Love before threats and intimidation.” Carrie turned and strode away, and this time he let her.

* * *

“She’ll come around,” Lindy promised as she poured Matt a glass of wine. “It’s a lot for a small-town girl to take in, that the guy she’s been dating is rich and powerful.”

Matt swirled the burgundy liquid in the glass before taking a cautious sip. He loved his sister dearly, but some days he found it hard to believe they were blood related. “Carrie doesn’t give a damn about my money. Besides, her parents are prominent attorneys, Carrie’s never wanted for anything.”

Lindy sat down across from him and took a sip of the wine she’d picked up at the Piggly Wiggly. Her eyes scrunched and her lips puckered. “Blech. Are you kidding me? How do you drink this crud?”

“I don’t, I drink beer. With a bottle of Michelob, I always know what to expect.”

He got up and carried his wineglass over to gaze out the kitchen window. His own backyard was barren, without a single flower or shrub to break the monotony.

Yesterday he’d had such big plans in store—a pair of apple trees, a flower garden that would knock Carrie’s socks off, a hammock, just like hers. Today he’d decided to put the house on the market. The two-bedroom cottage style home had cost him a song less than a year ago, and he knew he could easily sell it for the same. He didn’t care about making a profit. All that mattered was getting the hell out of Redemption.